Nothing's been decided yet, but some taxpayers are already speaking out against the idea.

"It seems like there's enough people behind desks in the county that can do that without the additional cost," said taxpayer Bill Dorsey. "That's a lot of money for a study."

The Cobb County Citizens Oversight Committee made numerous suggestions concerning pay and benefits for employees including police, firefighters, and emergency dispatchers. Included in the committee's final report was a recommendation for a "comprehensive market study" to compare the pay of county employees to that of employees in other areas and in the private sector.

County spokesman Robert Quigley says based on similar studies in the past, the estimated cost would be around $350,000.

"In this day and time, we have to be careful about how we spend money," said Quigley. "You have to balance that with the suggestion the oversight committee has to make sure we maintain a talented work force."

Quigley stressed that nothing has been decided.

"We're not asking the board at this time to take any action on the study," Quigley said. "We're responding to suggestions made by a group of citizens. Ultimately, if this comes forward, if the board of commissioners is asked to vote on it, they'll make a decision based on is this a just expense or not."

According to county records, the lowest paid police officer in Cobb County makes just over $38,000 a year; $350,000 would be enough to hire nine of those officers.

Quigley said any discussion about the study likely wouldn't come until the fall when commissioners start to look at the 2013 budget.

Click here to weigh in on the issue. 11Alive News will take taxpayer comments about the proposed study to county commissioners.